Mail-bag



G. A. PILE, AIL BAG.

7 m kw,

m l; M

(N0 Model.)

UNTTED STATES PATENT OE ICE.

GEORGE A. PILE, OF JENNERSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,429, dated January19, 1897.

Application filed June 25,1896. smart. 596,856. (NomodelJ T0 (tZZ whomit may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. PILE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Jennerstown, in the county of Somerset and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bags, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in mail-bags, and has for itsobject to provide a simple and effective means for closing and lockingthe mouth thereof; and for this purpose it consists in the construction,arrangement, and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof an open bag provided with this invention. Fig. 2 is a section throughthe mouth of the bag, and Figs. 3 and 4 are detail sectional views.

The bag A may be of any approved mate rial and construction, and has itstop edges formed into a channel a, in which is contained themouth-frame 1. This frame consists of four strips 2, each having itsends hinged to the contiguous ends of the adjoining strips, and as theframe is adapted to fold flat, as shown in Fig. 2, and when opened toform a parallelogram, two'of these strips form the front of the frameand two the rear. Those strips that form the front have projecting fromtheir rear faces hooks 3, while the rear strips have apertures 4 thereincorresponding in position to the hooks and through which the latter maypass when the bag is closed.

A pair of hinged slides 5, each of which is composed of a rigid piece,is contained within the rear channel of the top of the bag and upon theoutside of the strips 2 therein, the hinge between the slides when thelatter are in their unlocked position being directly on the outside ofthe hinge between the rear strips of the frame, thereby permitting thebag to open to the formshown in Fig. 1. slides 5 are provided withapertures 6, registering with the apertures 4 in the rear strips of theframe when the slides 5 are in their unlocked position, thus permittingthe passage of the hooks 3 through the apertures 4 and 6, whereupon ifthe slides be moved in the proper direction the hooks will be en- The;

gaged and the mouth of the bag prevented from opening. In order toprovide for this movement of the slides and for locking them in theposition to which they may be moved, the exterior end of one of theslides has hinged thereto a bent hasp 7, which is pivoted thereto and isadapted to be brought over an eye 8 on the front of the bag and theresecured by a suitable lock 9. As will be seen, the shape of the hasp issuch that in folding it against the.front of the bag for this purposetheslides will be drawn Within the channel a, thus reducing the numberof movements necessary to close and lock the bag. In order to similarlyreduce to a minimum the number of movements necessary for opening thebag, I may in a slot 10, cut in one of the strips 2, place a spring 11,one end of which bears against the end of the slot and the other end ofwhich is secured to the slide 5 contiguous to it, the spring beingcompressed when the slides are moved to engage the hooks, thus storingup power which when the lock is moved will be exerted in automaticallythrowing the slides back into their normal or unlocked position, thusdisengaging the hooks.

As an additional safeguard I may also form another slot 12 in one of theslides and secure to the adjacent strip a flat spring 13, having a boss14 upon its outer surface, the said spring being contained within theslot 12, with the end of which the free end of the spring is adapted toengage when the slides are in their locked positions. As such a bosswill be concealed in any desired manner, it will be obvious that it willbe impossible for any person not acquainted with the position of theboss to open the bag, to do which it is necessary to press upon theboss, whereby the end of the spring will be pressed flat upon the stripand disengaged from the slide, permitting the movement of the latter.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a hinged mouthframe, composed of hinged part-sfolding fiat, the front of said frame having hooks thereon and the rearof the frame having apertures therein, hinged slides upon the rear ofthe frame having apertures adapted to receive the hooks, an eye upon thefront of the bag,

a hasp pivoted to the slides and adapted to move the slides, a springhaving its opposite ends secured to the said frame and slides, andadapted to throw the slides upon the release of the hasp, and aspring-lock contained within the material of the bag and adapted to lockone of the slides to the adjoining part of the frame.

2. In a mail-bag, the combination with a bag provided at its upper endwith a channel, of a locking device seated in said channel andconsisting of a sliding bar designed to engage flanged fingers, a coiledspring connected to said sliding arm, the opposite end bearing againstthe frame in the channel of the bag, I 5

to engage the end of the slot of the sliding 2o locking-bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE A. PILE.

WVitnesses:

J. J. MEsHLER, Ms. M. COVER.

